Door latch



A. L. BROWN.

` nooR LATCH. APPLICATION FILED OCT. Il. 1920.

Patented Nov. M, 19221 fifi www

Patented Non'. lei, i932.

lfldtl @ENCE DOLPHUS LOCKETT BROWN, OIF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IDOR LATCH.

.application led Gctobcr 11, 1920. Serial No. 416,117.

To nil vwhomt may concern.

Be it known that l, Ancianos LocKE'rr Bnown, a citizen of thellnited States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Door Latches, of which the foliowing is a specification,

My invention relates to door latches, and, has for its object, .to provide alatch to overcome certain practical objections to, and defects in, the present form of door latch now general use, and, to provide a de vice consisting of a minimum number of parts which will be durable, and eective for the purpose intended.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features ef construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and finally pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

Referring to the accompan ing drawings forming a part of this speci 'cation wherein. like characters denote similar parts throughout the several views;

Fig. l, is an end elevation of a door provided with a latch constrncted in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2,V is a side elevation of the latch, partly in sectional elevation.

Fig. 3, is a bottom plan view of the latch member.

Fig. Li, is a view in perspective of the actuating member to which the door knobs are attached.

detail showing the end of the in the receiving socket of a ing to the drawing, the reference character 1 designates 'a suitable door hav l" ch receiving socket 2,

out the aim of my present invention, l ploy a suitable casing con sisting the side walls 3 and Ll, the front wall 5 having the opening 6, the rear wall '.7, the top wall 8 and the bottom wall 9. The side wall 8 is removable and is held in position by means of suitable screws 10, or `like fastening devices.

casing provided with horizontaliy disposed partition 11 arranged adjacent and-below the top wall 8 and provided with a cutaway portion, or opening 12, shown in Fig. 2. v

13 indicates suitable latch member which slidably mounted upon the partition 11 and in the pocket 141 formed between the artition 11 and casing top 8, as shown in ig. 2. The forward end of the latch member 13 is beveled, as at 15, to form the socket engaging end 16.

The socket engaging end 1G of the latch member 13 passes through the front wall openinfg 6 and normally extends beyond the outer ace of the front wall 5, 'as shown in Figs. 2" and 3. A suitable coiled spring 17 is disposed between the rear end of the locking member 13 and the rear wall 7 of the housing for the purpose of forcing the locking member into its normal position.

The latch member 13 is provided with a transverse socket having the ll-shaped front and rearl walls 18 and 19 to provide a socket which iswider atits top and bottom than at its center. rlhe socket communicates at its lower end with the lower vface of the latch member 13, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

20 indicates an actuating member or knob shaft having an enlarged central body portion to provide the shoulders 21. The actuating member" passes through the openings 22 of the side walls 3 and e of the casing, and, the central enlarged body portion of the knob shaft 20 is positioned between the side walls within the casing. The central enlarged body vportion of the knob' shaft 20 is provided with an opening 23 to receive a member 24C which is held in position by means of suitable screws 25 and which extends beyond the upper face of the knob shaft and enters the socket to serve as a keeper or push plate 24;, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

26 and 27 indicate door knobs which are suitably `secured to the ends of the knob shaft l 28 indicates the usual socket formed in door frame 29 to receive the locking end lo of the locking member ist.

The operation of the device is as follows:

"W hen the latch member 13 is in its normal position, it assumes the position shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 5. 'lhe latch member 13 normally stands in this position whether the door is open or closed, as is manifest.

Assuming that the door is closed, as illustrated in n ig. 5, and it is desired to open the door, the operator turns the'knob, on either side of the door, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. This operation, it will be observed, moves the keeper 24 of member 2O in an arcuate path to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby longitudinally moving the latch member 13 toward the coiled spring 17 compressing the same in its movement. This movement of the locking member 13, it will be observed, withdraws the locking end 16 from the socket 28 of the door frame 29, thus ermitting the door to be readily opene as is manifest, When the operator releases hold ofeither door knob, it is evident that the latch member 13 will be quickly pushed outward to its normal osition again by means of the 'expanding movement of the coiled spring 17.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that I provide a door latch consisting of a minimum number of parts, thus obviating the necessity of the many small parts employed in the usual form of door latch.

The many advantages of the. hereindescribed invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

I do not wish to be understood as having limited myself to the specific details of construction shown and described but desire to have it understood that the invention I have shown in the drawings, is merely illustrative, as it is manifest that various minor changes may be made in the exact construction and particular arrangement of several parts Without departing from the spirit of my invention, hence I reserve the right to make an such chan s, or modifications as may fairly fall Wit in the scope of the appended claim when fairly construed.

lhat I claim is: y

In combination with a door having a socket therein, a latch casing receivable in said socket having side Walls, one of which is removable, a top wall, a front wall having an openlng, a rear Wall and a bottom Wall, a horizontally disposed partition provided ivith a cutaway portion arranged adjacent the to wall, a latch member havin f a beveled socket engaging forward end slid ably mounted upon. said partition, a coiled spring disposed between the rear end of the latch member and the rear Wall of the latch casing for the purpose of forcing the latch member into its normal position, a knob shaft having an enlarged central body portion having a long slotted opening and provided with lateral shoulders passing through openings in the side Wallsof the latch casing with the enlarged bod portion positioned between the side wal s of the casing, a flat push plate receivable in the longitudinal. opening of the knob shaft and extending upwardly therefrom and said latch member having a transversely disposed socket formed in its lower face Wider at its top and bottom than at its center for receiving the extended end of the push plate.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed m name to the specication.

ADOIJPHUS LUCKETT BROWN. 

